


weed be cute together

by fairywingedlouis



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone smokes weed, Falling In Love, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Pining, Soulmate Vibes, coming of age I guess?, everyone is gay try to stop me, maybe a lil bit of a slow burn??, mostly fluff hopefully, newt and sonya are twins, newt is baby, the concept of this is so fun pls give me a chance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29189064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairywingedlouis/pseuds/fairywingedlouis
Summary: ‘And when you cry a piece of my heart dies, knowing that I may have been the cause.If you were to leave, fulfill someone else’s dreams; I think I might be totally lost.But you don’t ask for no diamond rings, No delicate string of pearls.That’s why I wrote this song to sing, My beautiful boy,’Thomas finished his cigarette without realizing, in a trance-like state as he holds on to every word flowing out of the stranger’s mouth. The angelic voice reminds him of everything good in the world; drizzled honey and the first rainfall of the season, slowly warming him from the inside out like a steaming tea on a cold winter day.ORThomas and Newt find themselves quickly thrown into each other's orbit, and even quicker they're hurdled through vast self realizations, change, and the terrifying yet lovely path of falling in love. As their friends become swiftly fascinated with each other, the two boys are immediately drawn to each other, almost like two stars colliding in the sky; almost as if there was a little red string connecting them, pulling the two closer to one another as the days go by.
Relationships: Gally/Minho (Maze Runner), Harriet/Sonya | Elizabeth "Lizzy" (Maze Runner), Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner), Teresa Agnes/Brenda (Maze Runner)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fanfic so please be nice!! i dunno how many chapters this will be, and please read the tags, there are a lot of references to drug and alcohol use, swearing and mental health issues. i pretty much refuse to write stuff that'll make me sad so hopefully this will be mostly fluff :) along with friendship, pining, love, probably smut lol - and it's all gay!! nobody can stop me. i think the chapters are a little long, and may be a lil slow at the beginning but pleaseee stick with me because i absolutely adore the concept of this fic!! xoxo

Thomas groans as he is rudely woken up by his best friend and soon to be roommate, Minho, practically collapsing on top of his half-closed semi-exploding suitcase, in hopes he could end up fitting his mass amount of hoodies in the lone case. Not that Thomas was complaining really, in fact he basically talked his best friend into packing the impressive number of hoodies to bring with them; solely so he could steal them.

“Good morning Sunshine!,” Minho said, purposely raising his voice for the hell of it after hearing Thomas making a fuss. “Mhm, g’morning slinthead” Thomas half grudgingly mumbles, while simultaneously trying to maneuver himself from his cocoon of blankets he subconsciously forms around himself in his sleep, as well as his and Minho's bags strewn all over his childhood bedroom floor. 

“Minho, buddy, we both know how this’ll end. You’ll either rip the zipper from the seams or you’ll grab another bag.. Do us both a favour and just grab another bag,” Thomas said humorely as he continued to watch his friend struggle. “That only happened one time, bitch!!,” Minho yelled, as he got up and analyzed the situation, “But yeah.. You’re probably right, we wouldn’t have time to grab another bag if that happened anyways, with our horrifying caffeine addictions and all.” He ended with a slight pout. “Just take this backpack of mine, all I have left to pack are my toiletries anyways,” Thomas said as he threw the backpack at his near future roommate and walked out of his room, down the hallway to the bathroom to get freshened up and prepared for the long drive ahead of them.

As Thomas got himself ready for the likely exhausting day ahead of him, he tries his best to not let his anxiety get the best of him; he really doesn’t need the stress of wanting to back out and hide in his nest of blankets on top of his already existing stress from moving out of his childhood home (as well as his attachment issues.) The move from Colorado to Oregon is going to be tough, yeah, the long ass drive worse, but the worst part was going to be leaving the comfort of his mom and little brother, Chuck. 

Ever since his dad walked out on them, Thomas suddenly became extremely attached to the two of them, and the few other people that really mattered to him, like Minho and Teresa. He had been dreading the move for months, or years really, fearful of what would happen to his family with him gone. In hindsight he knew they would be fine, but he just couldn’t control his attachment to them. He never wanted them to think he was walking out like his father had; which left them all wounded for years.

Keeping this in mind, Thomas lingered in the front lobby of his house, hugging the two for longer than needed. His mom immediately noticed, hugging him tighter than ever before and whispering, “Don’t you worry darling, you’ll be back home before you know it; and we know you’re coming back. Don’t worry about us, this is your time to be free” into his shaggy brown hair. Feeling slightly lighter, he ruffled his little brother’s curly locks, receiving a grown, “See you in a few weeks, Chucky!” and headed down the driveway with his best friend.

Four hours later, Thomas was sitting in the driver’s seat, cruising down the highway with his best friend, large coffee in hand talking through their plans for when they get to their apartment. “I vote we get a green couch, we could surround it with tons of plants and they’d match!” Thomas gushed, admiring the set up in his mind. “I honestly don’t care at all, as long as we have a comfortable couch, frozen pizzas, and a smoke spot, I’m content,” Minho said. He was glad to see his friend so excited, but there were only so many colour combinations he could imagine before his brain fried.

Thomas smirked, knowing Minho wasn’t like him at all in that way; stuck up on every detail and obsessing over the smallest of things until they were perfect. Thomas was thankful he had Minho to chill him out when he was too wrapped up in his own mind, he truly will never understand how his best friend keeps his cool as much as he does. “Oh, Minho. You should know I already have a full decor plan for the balcony, the energy is going to be unmatchable. You just wait.” Minho laughs and fist bumps the air, not missing a beat before asking when they can get lunch, insisting he needs more caffeine. 

The closer Thomas drove to his new apartment, the more nerves he felt. He knew nothing was gonna go wrong per se, him and Minho are a surprisingly good team when they take a moment from their childish antics, but Thomas was just a generally nervous person. It gets pretty bad sometimes and he’s honestly even surprised he was able to move on from his childhood home, the one he’s spent so many years in. He already misses his mum and Chuck terribly, but without the help of them and Minho, he probably would have chickened out and not left at all. 

Although he is incredibly excited to start this new part of his life with his best friend, learning about the things he’s passionate about and hopefully meeting new friends, and don’t even get him started on the excitement he feels when he thinks about decorating his new space; but change has always been weird for Thomas, ever since Chuck was born and his dad left, he has issues moving on. 

Thomas shook his head, zoning back into the drive. He refuses to think about what his dad did to them, the broken pieces he left behind; the man doesn’t deserve his energy. Thomas made a promise to himself, he was going to start his life and he was going to enjoy it, do whatever he wanted when he felt like it, because ultimately; he deserved it after all this time. Minho looks over to Thomas, examining his posture and facial expressions, quickly realizing he’s fallen into the depths of his own mind. He was all too familiar with his best friend's anxiety, how it affected him, and most importantly, how to help. 

“Hey shank, how about we pull over into a parking lot, you light up this joint I rolled for you this morning, and I’ll drive the rest of the way?” Thomas gives him a look of confusion mixed with gratefulness, and cracks a smile, “I can tell you’re getting lost in your little mental world, so let me help out, alright?” He sends his best friend a smile, one Thomas knows to well to be the ‘if-you-say-no-I-will-smack-you-just-let-me-help’ look, so he smirks back and nods, promptly pulling over into a parking lot surrounded by a few restaurants. 

“Kill two birds with one stone, yeah?” Thomas says, glancing at the clock flashing 2:00, “Just in time to grab some lunch!” As Minho starts bouncing in his seat. “Thank god dude, the food will be so good after smoking and my legs are starting to ACHE!” Thomas laughs, “Don’t be so dramatic!” “We’ve been trapped in here for four and a half hours! I am NOT being dramatic, ya shank” Minho grumbles jokingly, all while ruffling through his bag for the joint.

“Ah, finally! Now, you calm down while I grab us some pizza.” Minho huffs out while sliding out of the car, groaning as he stretches and closes the door. “Love you!,” Thomas giggles out while his best friend stomps to the door all too dramatically. He slides over to the passenger seat and opens the door to stretch his legs out, while trying to dig a lighter out of his pocket. He lights up, and exhales with a sigh, slowly letting go of all the tension from his body and clearing his jumbled mind, leaving him much more relaxed. 

Minho walks out with the slices as Thomas is finished just under half the joint, and they exchange goods. Thomas groans as he takes a bite of the warm slice, savouring every taste as Minho sighs, content from the two small puffs he takes. Minutes later they’re back on the road, blasting music with two much happier boys in tow. Thomas spends the remaining three hours of the ride looking online for decor, which he had been thinking about it since the minute they got on the road, and Minho was admiring the views, pointing the prettiest sights out for Thomas to enjoy as well. 

When they pull up to the apartment, the car is suddenly full of excitement, nerves, and nostalgia. Both boys knew they’d never be the same as they were in the past decade they spent together in their home town, but they were excited. They were about to move into their very own apartment with their best friend and do whatever they wanted. With a nervous sigh, Thomas looked over at Minho and thought, maybe change isn’t all that bad. He had a good feeling about this apartment, and about their new city; he felt as though something big would happen, and he was eager to find out.

“Well, let’s do this, Tommy boy!” Minho exclaimed, ignoring the grumbles of detest from his best friend after hearing the nickname. “Our very own apartment, Thomas! Can you believe it? Get ready for the most epic part of your life, starting right fucking now!!” Thomas cackles at his best friend, feeling high off excitement and nerves; maybe a small portion of his spliff a few hours earlier too. “Let’s do this, Min.” he says bravely, slinging his arm over his best friend’s shoulder. He knows everything’s gonna be okay, epic even, if Minho had a say. He smiles widely as he picks up his first few bags, and by the time he’s heading into the new space, his nerves are gone.

Little did Thomas know, his life was about to flip upside down and inside out; but in the best way possible.

❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ 

Newt jumped as his sister came crashing into his room, holding too many things for him to even decipher what it was she was trying to haul in. “Sonya,” Newt said, slightly exasperated at the scene in front of him, “What the bloody hell are you doing?”

“I need you to pack some things for me in your duffel,” she said, sounding as if she was slightly offended Newt even asked, all while dropping all of her things to his floor and handing him a mug. “And mum wanted me to bring you a tea, says you’re feeling a little down, what’s going on Newtie?” as she gently pushed the mug into his hand, and ruffled her hand through his hair, “Nervous for the plane or Uni, smoosh?” 

Newt laughed mentally, knowing he has to eventually admit defeat and accept the fact that his twin knew him better than anyone, even his damn self probably; she can read him like the back of her hand and he never has been able to hide his emotions and secrets from the bloody pest. He did really have a fear of planes and heights, but he was mainly a big ball of anxiety at the thought of his next step in life, which mainly consists of more school and scraping money out from under their couch cushions or some shit. 

Sonya and him had both applied to WCKD University without really realizing the other had too, which was a lovely surprise the night they had been simultaneously accepted. It’s a large and widely diverse school in Oregon, offering plenty of different programs and what not; but Newt was just really glad Sonya would be with him for it - and of course their best friends Fry and Brenda. Sure, he’d miss his mum, but his sister had always been his number one; the only one who ever truly understood him and could always handle him no matter what, and his best friends were his anchors.

Newt sighed, not surprised his mom ratted him out to his twin; although Newt is older, (only by a few minutes but STILL! Those few minutes count!) Newt is definitely the baby between them, although he’d never admit it. It’s not just the fact that Sonya’s typically the more sociable twin and definitely takes on the mother role in many roles of her life, no. 

Truth is, Newt is a mess more often than not. He’s depressed and anxious, smokes too much weed, and likes being alone a little more than the average person. Some days he wakes up and can’t move from bed, feeling all too hollow mentally and emotionally, and so incredibly sad for what feels like no reason at all. Other days he wants to go out so badly, out to the bars with Fry and Brenda, or out for lunch with his mum and sister, but his anxiety works a hole in his stomach and he’s too paranoid to leave the confines of their little house.

So, yeah, you could say he was slightly nervous. “Ugh, I just hate that we have to take a plane out of all vehicles. Like, really? That’s the easiest way? Bloody hell,” Newt grumbles, and Sonya giggles as he lifts his head towards her and crinkles his nose, “Also, Smoosh? That’s a new one from you.” Newt says as an afterthought. 

Newt watches as Sonya laughs, and lightly punches him on the shoulder “We both know you love my habit of calling everyone pet names, even though you’d never admit it,” he rolls his eyes at the comment but doesn’t protest, because well, she’s right. He would never admit it, but the names make him feel comfortable and safe, so much so that basically everyone in his life has some sort of go to pet name for him. “But don’t worry about the plane ride, big brother! We’ll get more tea, and snacks, and I’m sure you’ll have time to smoke a spliff before we leave as well!” Sonya spewed out, instantly feeling her brother's distress and worry under her skin. 

Newt cackles, feeling thankful his loved ones truly cared for him and picked up on what makes him feel better. His depression steals that feeling from him too much, so he makes sure he fully allows himself to feel it when he’s able to. “Thank goodness for that, I wouldn’t wanna make either of us deal with an all too sober, overly anxious Newt in that situation,” he said as he stood up, putting his empty mug down on the bare desk and staring at his almost bare naked childhood bedroom (other than the various items Sonya left laying on his floor, which he knows he’ll have to somehow make room for in his bags). 

“Quite odd to think we may never live in this house again, huh Sun?” Newt looked down towards his twin, as she patted him on the shoulder, “Yeah it is, but I’m glad we’ll have each other for this next chapter.” Sonya said lowly, smiling. “Yea, dido Sunny.” Newt said firmly, with the shadow of an excited smile. He already feels better about the plane ride ahead of him, and he knows he’ll be okay with his twin by his side.


	2. two

Just because Newt did in fact have time for a spliff before the flight doesn’t mean it completely cancelled out the anxiety he felt the entire plane ride. He had to force Sonya to pinky swear she’d never tell a soul about him clutching a puke bag so hard to his chest he nearly ripped holes through it, but ten hours later he finally got out of the god forsaken airport and into the fresh air. “Jesus bloody christ, Sun, I am never fucking doing that again,” Newt pants out through straggled breaths, heaved over trying to rid his nausea as Sonya giggles, of course.

“Sorry love, but unfortunately you’re going to have to get used to it if you ever wanna go back home again.” She says soothingly, while she rubs his back and ruffles through her purse for the nausea medication she had previously packed for this exact situation. Newts groans, and mumbles “Say ‘ello to mum' for me, I’ll just stay here forever.” through his sips of water. “C’mon bub, we gotta grab a taxi and get to the apartment, it’s quite chilly out here,” Sonya says as she wraps her scarf tighter around herself. Newt huffs from the spot on the floor he designated for himself and looks to his sister “You do that, I’ll be here trying to calm down before I puke in some strangers car.” As he closes his eyes, Sonya huffs and grimaces a little, knowing he’s being completely serious, and goes looking for a taxi.

45 minutes later, Sonya and Newt are hauling their impressive amount of belongings up the stairs into their new apartment. Sonya squeals, gushing about how cute the wall colours are, and how pretty the cabinets are, and which pictures she’ll hang up where, but Newt is more focused on getting his belongings in the door so he can crash into bed and pass out. As he brings in the last box, he sees Sonya already gathering her photos and planning where to place them on the walls. “Sun, we have all the time in the world to decorate, we just had a bloody long flight, why don’t we just go to sleep?” Newt says as he rummages around in his jacket pocket for his smokes.

“Are you kidding me, Newt?! It’s our very first night, we have to christen the apartment! We have to get drunk and cleanse the energy and listen to music and hang all our decorations up!!” Sonya screams excitedly, and Newt sighs, knowing he can’t get out of this one. Sonya did make a big deal over buying booze before getting to the apartment, so he supposes he can suffer through a beer or two. “Fine,” Newt mumbles, slightly moody from the flight and exhaustion. “But I’m having a smoke first and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Sonya rolls her eyes but agrees, watching as Newt walks out the back door.

Newt lets out a long sigh as he lets go of all the tension in his body, appreciating the much needed nicotine after the long ass day he just had. Before he gets too lost in his thoughts, Sonya slips through the door onto the balcony, with two apple flavoured beers in her hands. She looks at her brother and smirks, handing him the bottle and beckoning him in for cheers, “To us,” Sonya says quietly, not wanting to ruin the peaceful energy of the night before them. Newt smiles, feeling light and airy, and repeats the notion as they clink their beers and take a sip.

He hears Sonya shuffle in her chair, and turns to see her picking at her nail, a tell tale sign she’s deep in thought. “Do you think this place will be good to us, Newtie? Do you think we’ll meet some good people?” Newt smiles thoughtfully over at his sister, and takes a minute to think. He and his sister had been through a lot of shit, together and apart. They’ve been used and abused by way too many people, and he’d be damned if he let that happen again. Truth is, Newt did feel good about their new start. Sure, it was bloody scary, but deep down Newt had a feeling that both he and his sister would do well here, they’d be happy. 

Newt sighs and refocuses back on the present moment, looking to his sister. “I do really think this new start will be good to us, I dunno why - but there’s something in me that’s sure of it. We deserve a new start, and to be surrounded by genuine people, and to finally have a good fucking time. Together we’re gonna find our happy places Sun, and hey, maybe even our people! Who knows! The possibilities are endless, and all I know is we’re gonna make sure it’s perfect.” 

Sonya has tears in her eyes, and when Newt’s finished speaking, she has the biggest smile on her face. “I’m so proud of you love, you’ve come so far and you’re doing so great. You’re the best big brother I could have ever asked for, and I’m so glad we get to do this together. I have a good feeling too, and call it a hunch, but I have a feeling you’re gonna find someone here. You deserve someone to love you for all of you, and someone who will do anything for you; and I know you’re gonna get them. I am just so excited for both of us to finally have a new start, somewhere fresh where we can escape the bullshit from home.” And well, now Newt’s the one with tears in his eyes. He gives his sister a big smile and starts to get up, “Well little sister, let's get started on this perfect new beginning! But first thing’s first, refills!” Newt yells, and they both get up and excitedly run to the kitchen.

Three hours later, the twins have dummied a 12 pack of beer, and have set up all the decor they had until they could go shopping. They sat on the couch, nursing their last beers and talking, when Sonya looked at Newt, “Newtie, can I ask you a question?” “Course Sun, what’s up love?” Newt looks at his sister, noticing slight fear or anxiety in her eyes. “How did you know you liked boys?” Sonya looked to her jeans, playing with the frayed pieces and avoiding Newt’s eyes. Newt smiles, not surprised. He knows his sister better than anyone, and even better than herself, so he knew this subject was going to come up sooner or later.

He takes a minute to think, looking back all those years ago, memories of him in elementary school realizing he liked to watch the boys play soccer more than he liked watching the girls do gymnastics. Honestly, Newt knew he was gay from a young age. They were born into a very expressive and caring family, and brought up in a wholesome town where everyone loved everyone, no matter what. He always knew in the back of his mind he didn’t like girls, so there wasn’t really a single defined moment. He looks back to his younger sister and shows her a comforting smile and wraps his arm around her in a half hug.

“Well love, I think I always kind of knew. With those more personal details of yourself, the ones that you’re born with and can’t be changed, I think we always just sort of know; whether we realize it or not. Everyone’s different but when I was growing up, I’d find myself lingering more towards the boys my age, looking for their approval, or wondering what they thought of me. Whenever I tried, I could never picture myself with a girl, even as a young boy, I knew I could only see myself loving and settling down with another man. It was hard to come to terms with, because it is scary no matter what, but once you know and you’re confident in your decision, it’s the best feeling ever. Why do you ask, bub?” He asks, stroking her hair.

“I think, well - I dunno… but I think I might be - um, attracted to girls? And to boys too, but I’m not totally sure,” Sonya spewed out, all nervous and jumbled. She looks up at Newt and he smiles comfortingly, “You don’t have to know for sure love, you never have to feel pressured to label yourself or with who you love, because at the end of the day, all that matters is how you feel. If you’re comfortable with how you feel, the things you do, how you present yourself. The choices you make. Who you love is who you love, and you never need to explain yourself. Mum and I love you no matter what.” Sonya sniffles, her brother always knows what to say. She moves closer and enguffles Newt in a big hug, murmuring “I love you so much big brother, you’re the best, and I accept you no matter what as well.”

❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁

Thomas wakes up in a sweat, confused and not knowing where he is, until it all hits him again. He’s in his very own apartment that he lives in with his best friend and is about to start school to study his passions, the history of art and interior design. Thomas smiles so hard his face feels like it’ll crack, and jumps out of bed immediately. After brushing his teeth, he runs down the hallway and bursts into Minho’s room, who’s still sleeping.

“Wake up you Shank! It’s our first real day in the apartment, we gotta christen this bitch!!” Thomas screams as he opens the blinds in Minho’s room. Minho groans and mumbles gibberish, something about screwing off and leaving him be, but Thomas is having none of it.   
He takes the grinder out of his pocket, already prepared for the wake and bake, and opens it up right under Minho’s nose.

Once he smells the earthly, fruity smells, he pops up immediately and Thomas laughs, “I always know how to get your lazy ass out of bed!” He yells as he grabs his bong and runs to the balcony. Minho is out of bed, dressed and on the balcony in record time. Thomas smirks and lightly punches his arm, “Morning slinthead! How was your very first sleep in our home?!” Thomas grins manically and Minho rubs his face, trying to wake up. “Peachy, until you came in kicking and screaming, jerk!” He says humorely as he grabs the bong from Thomas and packs his own bowl.

“Payback for yesterday when I was rudely awoken by your fat ass ripping apart your suitcase!” Minho rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue, and instead takes another hit. “Yeah, whatever,” he squeezes out between coughs, “Classes start tomorrow, so how do you wanna spend our last free day for the next few years?” Minho asks grumpily, not happy to be going back to school. 

Thomas huffs and rolls his eyes. Although he likes learning, school wasn’t his favourite thing either. “I was thinking we could get some food, maybe some decor to start making this place look all pretty, maybe we get drunk tonight? Thoughts?” Minho smirks, future chaos passing through his eyes “You know I’m wherever the alcohol is.” Thomas cackles as he packs another bowl “I knew you’d be down.”

After bickering over what food to get for twenty minutes, the boys had decided on pitas and were now debating on which couch to buy. “But Minho, the yellow doesn’t go with the colour scheme! The green would contrast nicely with the walls and carpet, and it’ll tie in good with the plants I bought!” Thomas yells exasperatedly in the middle of the store, not understanding what Minho’s not understanding about his decor plan. Minho sighs and rolls his eyes for the thirtieth time since entering the store, knowing Thomas’ passion for interior design and matching colours and what not. “Fine! But if we get the green couch we’re getting the bean bags I wanted for gaming,” knowing he’ll get nowhere with Thomas in the fight over couches. Thomas smiles widely and flutters his eyelashes, “Sounds like a plan!!”

Finally, after four hours of decor shopping, Thomas let Minho drag him out of the shops and back home. As they trampled through the door with the last of their items, Minho let out a long, loud sigh. “I think it’s time for about.. five well deserved alcoholic beverages, whaddya say Tom?” Thomas wrinkles his nose at the nickname but laughs, “I’m definitely down, as long as you stop trying to give me nicknames!” Minho rolls his eyes as he pours their new bottle of whiskey in two cups with root beer, “You’re so boring!” Thomas rolls his eyes but ignores him and sits on their beautiful new couch.

“Isn’t she just the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen?” Thomas asks Minho as he passes him his drink. “I dunno man, I’ve seen a lot of drop dead hot women,” Minho says between sips. Thomas rolls his eyes and lightly kicks Minho’s leg, while turning the new episode of Shameless on. They quickly finish their first two drinks sitting in front of the TV, and realize on their third that Minho has a slightly heavy hand with liquor. 

“Maaan, I just want a beautiful, nice, caring boy to give all my love to and experience this life with. I haven’t had a boyfriend OR girlfriend in years! I’m literally gonna crumble and fade away at this rate, Minho!” Minho sighs, knowing he gave the boy a little too much whiskey in his drinks. “Um, excuse you Thomas, but I believe I am all of those and we’ve known each other for 13 years. You’re experiencing life with me!!” Minho cries, half joking. Thomas laughs and replies “Yes, Min, but I’m not about to kiss you and take you on dates to woo you.” The boys share a disgusted look, the thought alone sending shivers down their spines.

“Yeah, okay, very fair. Why don’t we go to a bar?! I gotta find the good places and decide where to spend my weekends,” Minho smirks, and Thomas glares back. “No Min, I don’t want one night stands and purely sex like you do. I respect your hustle whole heartedly but DAMN, I want to love someone and be loved back!! I want to cuddle and watch movies and talk about life. You know? That cheesy romantic shit that’d make you cringe if it were in a movie..” Minho fake gags, preferring no attachments and the single life. 

“Ah, well I’m not much help in that department.. but we’re gonna be here for years Thomas! You’ll find someone, I know it.” Smiling at Thomas, hope in his eyes. He really hopes his friend finds someone, he’s been through so much, seen so many bad things, and witnessed humans at their worst potential. His best friend deserves the world, even more. But Minho had a feeling this would be a good place for Thomas. Himself too, but he has good feelings for his best friend.

Thomas pouts and nods, grateful for his friend. He can’t help but feel lonely, he’s never really had many friends, let alone romantic partners. People found him too talkative, he was too much usually. He asked too many questions and was too nosey for his own good, but he couldn’t control his curiosity. He’d always been too curious in people, only meaning the best but coming off as too much. He just hopes he can find someone that accepts his flaws and loves him through them. 

Thomas’ first morning of classes aren’t as good as he had hoped. He woke up groggy and hungover, head pounding against his temples and stomach swirling. Minho was also quite hungover, and that resulted in the boys leaving their apartment late and not having time to grab coffee, so they were both pretty moody. Thomas stumbled through his first few classes, feeling hardly alive and walking with his hood up. After his third class he had an hour break, so he headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Minho.

He spotted Minho sitting at a table near the middle of the room, hood up and head down on the table. Thomas chuckles as he walks closer, “Still hurting, huh?” as he nudges Minho and sits next to him. Minho groans, hardly moving from his spot “My head is pounding so hard right now it feels like it could explode, for shucks sakes” Thomas hums agreeingly, knowing exactly how the boy feels. “I’ll go grab some coffee for us, I’m sure it’ll help.” Minho looks up and musters a small smile, immediately dropping his head back down on his arms.

When Thomas returns, Minho is actually sitting up properly, and is talking to someone sitting beside him. As Thomas gets closer, he recognizes the dark long hair as Teresa, and starts to walk faster. “T! I haven’t seen you in months! How are you?!” He screams excitedly once he gets to the table, wrapping the girl in a hug. “I’m doing great, Thomas, how are you?! You’ve grown!” Thomas laughs at his longtime friend's giddiness. 

“I’ve been alright! Put my art skills to use like you told me to, I’m in interior design and decorating now!” Teresa squeals and Thomas smiles, having missed his close friend after she moved away a few months before the two boys. “That is so exciting! I was just talking to Min about your wicked hangovers, sounds like a good night! We should get together really soon.” Thomas smiles widely and agrees as he slides Minho’s coffee in front of him. He hums appreciatively, looking immensely grateful. 

“What classes do you guys have next?” Thomas asks his friends, “I’m off now, losers! Gonna take a much needed nap, I can’t believe I’m already this tired!” Thomas and Minho groan, fantasizing of warm blankets and a nice nap right now while Teresa laughs. “ I have health and nutrition, what’s yours?” “Studies of Art” Thomas smiles passionately, actually looking forward to the class. Minho of course doesn’t miss this, and teases him as usual, “I cannot believe you’re actually looking forward to a class right now, especially in our current states. You are ridiculous!” 

Thomas laughs at his friend's antics, but is quickly cut off by the most beautiful man he’s sure he’s ever seen, walking through the doors of the cafe. When Minho and Teresa notice their friends' difference in demeanor, they turn around to see what Thomas is fixated on and their jaws drop.

“No way! No shucking way! Those are for sure heart eyes I see!” He screams excitedly. Teresa squeals, also picking up on the love stricken face Thomas was wearing. Thomas starts to panic, shushing them “Shut it you shanks, he’s gonna hear you!!” and his friends laugh at his panic, obviously enjoying the situation, but Thomas is distracted easily when said tall, gorgeous boy with the blonde hair and leather jacket looks over and catches Thomas staring. He internally panics, until the breath-taking boy shows off a flirty little smile and waves at an awestruck Thomas from across the room.

Thomas blanks, getting lost in those dark, mysterious eyes. Teresa elbows him and Minho’s muttering something along the lines of ‘Stupid shank, wave back you idiot!!’ and Thomas breaks out of his frozen state and does so, a sheepish smile running across his nervous face. He watches as the beautiful, angelic boy takes his tea from the station, and with one last lingering stare, walks out of the room. His face falls, heart pounding, intrigued by the mysterious boy he had just encountered. 

When he reverts his attention back to his friends, they’re smirking at him, Teresa’s squealing in excitement and Minho gives him a knowing look, and fires a “What did I tell you?! On the first day too!! Keep the surprises coming Thomas,” and Thomas punches his arm, telling him to fuck off, insisting it was nothing and passing it off with a, “I’ll probably never even see him again!” 

Deep down, Thomas wanted to see the mysterious man again, badly. And hopefully sooner, rather than later. Teresa pouts, “He was so cute though! He was looking at you all flirty!!” and Thomas blushes while she and Minho continue to giggle and tease him. “I hate you guys,” he replies lightly, knowing they know he doesn’t actually mean it.. At least not always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two!! precious newt & sonya content, i just love them <3 i will be switching pov's within each chapter of this fic, and sometimes one part is longer than the other, sorry! buckle up and watch my favourite boys fall in luuvvvv!!


	3. three

“Oh my god, oh bloody fuck,” Newt says, sounding panicked as he walked up to the bench in the fairly big sized court yard that was built just outside of the school, where he, Sonya and Brenda had agreed to meet at for lunch. He plopped down on the picnic table and immediately lit up the joint they had all planned to share before their last classes, to keep them energized of course. Brenda and Sonya watch in surprise as Newt enters in a whirlwind, with no clue what could have made him this distraught.

“Newtie, are you alright?!” Brenda asked, never missing the chance of calling him the nickname only certain people can get away with, sometimes. “Darling you look like you’ve just seen a bloody ghost, what’s happened?” Sonya asks worriedly, words coming out slightly jumbled; that’s sort of a side effect that comes with dealing with his sometimes rapid mood swings. “I’ve just seen the most ethereal boy to ever exist, he looked like an angel and a puppy dog all at once, Oh my god he was the cutest thing” Newt said quickly, between lighting the joint and taking rapid puffs.

The girls gaped at Newt, and after a moment started squealing in utter joy, making Newt flinch a little. “Oh my goodness hun, you have to tell us every detail!!” She screamed at her long time best friend, Sonya quickly agreeing and probably almost popping Newt’s ear drums. “Jesus alright, hold on! Stop screaming and let me take a puff or two, and then I’ll explain.” He said, daring either of them to try to rip him from the joint. They both smiled smugly and nodded, waiting not so quietly as he takes a final puff for the moment and passes it off to Brenda. 

“Okay, so I was grabbing a tea from the cafeteria because I’m absolutely knackered, while I’m waiting in line I’m just looking around the room and suddenly I see this breathtaking boy, with a genuine face of an angel, and I catch him staring, right? You with me?” The girls gasp and nod enthusiastically, moving closer and closer as he continues. “So he’s staring at me, and I panicked for a second but then I noticed his friends, they were laughing at him and stuff. I had a random surge of confidence and mustered up my flirtiest smile and waved, and he looked so cute, his friends had to nudge him and remind him to smile and wave back.” Newt says, blushing and giggling along adorably. 

“Oh my gosh!!!” they both squeal, “Newt! We gotta track him down! I’ve never seen you smile so fondly over someone like this before!!” Sonya yells, slapping Brenda’s arm to back her up (and also to pass the joint). Newt sadly smiles, shaking his head and responding, “Nah, someone that looks like that does not belong with someone like me. Bloody trust me, that boy is completely out of my league.”

Brenda gasps, and Sonya frowns, “Excuse you, Newt! You don’t see what we see! You deserve the world and more darling, you’re the glue to all of our friendships and your family, you keep everyone together love. You make sure we’re all okay, you do anything and everything for us, you deserve so so much.” Brenda says, tearing up at the thought of her precious best friend feeling this way about himself. “Newt don’t you dare say that shit, you are the reason I’m alive and the reason I made it to university and you literally shaped me as a person! You are constantly taking care of me and making sure I have everything I need and want. I try my very best to keep it even, but sometimes you’re too good!” Sonya rants to her brother, making Newt chuckle as he wipes away a few stray tears. 

“Thanks guys, I love you both. It’s just- you know how I get.. It’s hard for me to like - trust people that way, you know? And it’s so hard to believe I’m worthy of love.” He says honestly, just trying to get the heavy weight off his chest. Both girls wrap their arms around him, forming a big bear hug, and leaving a few kisses on his cheek. “Newtie, hun, you deserve the world and more. You do so much for everyone and you deserve the same energy towards yourself. If this said angel boy and you are meant to be, then you’ll see him again, and he’ll treat you like the perfect little elf you are!” Brenda says, stifling a laugh as Newt lightly whacks her side, and Sonya cackles along and hugs them tighter. 

Newt steals the roach from his sister and smiles lovingly at his favourite people. “I love you both so much, but I have class! Newtie, do you want me to walk you to yours? And hey, Bren! Tell Fry that you’re both invited to dinner tonight!” Sonya yells at Brenda as they split up, and Brenda cheers “Fuck Yeah!” as she walks down the hall. 

Sonya hooks her arm with Newt’s as he bends over to put the joint out, looking over at him with her signature puppy dog eyes, saying “I’m gonna need some very in depth details of Mr. Angel Boy as we walk” and Newt blushes but laughs, knowing he can’t get out of this one.

After a long day learning about gardening, agriculture, and whatnot; Newt found himself sitting in his kitchen, at the island watching Brenda and Frypan cook himself and Sonya a wonderfully smelling dinner. He tunes back in after getting lost in his thoughts of the beautiful, angelic boy, and refocuses on his friends. He watches as Brenda and Frypan argue over which vegetables to make, while Sonya dances along to SZA with her glass of wine. He smiles happily, feeling incredibly grateful for the little family he already has surrounding him in his big, new city. 

“Dreaming about your little lover boy, Newtie?” Brenda asks, stifling a giggle after seeing the look on the blonde’s face. Frypan whips his head back and forth between the blonde and the darker haired girl, wearing a puzzled look. “WHAT?! A boy?? I haven’t heard about this, shank!” and Sonya giggles at the darker boy, yelling “Our little Newt is in loooovee!!” slightly wine drunk and hazy after two glasses.

Newt attempts to hide his blush behind his wine glass as he takes a long sip, and then smashes his head down the counter, hiding behind his arms. He groans, “Yes, okay? I saw the most beautiful boy in my life earlier today and I literally cannot get him out of my head. It’s driving me insane!” Newt says in a slightly whiny voice. Brenda stares fondly, while Frypan gasps “Newt, bro! You haven’t felt like this about someone in ages!” Newt groans again, longer this time knowing exactly how this conversation will go.

“I know Fry, I know. But I’ll probably never see him again, he isn’t in any of my classes, and I didn’t even see him in the bloody halls!” The blonde frowns, feeling a little sad about it. “Newt, ya shank, don’t you think this means something? I mean.. Yeah, you’ve had a few short term relationships and hookups and whatever, but I’ve never seen your face light up like this while thinking of someone; and I’ve known you for years! Did he notice you?” Frypan rants, and Sonya quickly cuts Newt’s protesting off, he swears his sister is constantly squealing; he honestly doesn’t bloody know how he can still hear as well as he can after 20 years of her shit.

“Said angel boy totally saw him!! Newt said he was practically drooling, and his friends had to nudge him out of his trance to wave back at him!” Sonya says excitedly, practically tipping her glass over and splitting it. “Alright, Sun! You’re gonna stain the floors, bloody hell!” Newt sighs and huffs out a laugh “I would cut you off but I personally need another refill.” he smirks at his friends, collecting their glasses. “I vote you go back to the cafe tomorrow at the same time, scope angel boy out and see if he reacts the same! You could sit with him!” Brenda says wide eyed and excited, keeping firm eye contact in hopes of talking the blonde into her plan.

“Absolutely bloody not, Bren. Do you know me? Have you met me?! I can hardly manage to leave my bed most days, and you expect me to go sit with some beautiful stranger and spark up a conversation? No bloody way. He was sitting with a really pretty girl anyways, practically cuddled up. God, he’s probably straight!” Newt yells in fear, silently praying his overthinking isn’t the truth. Sonya sighs, and wraps her big brother in a hug “Darling, you will meet someone who accepts you for your genuine self, who cares just as much as us, maybe even more, and they’ll understand you completely. They’ll know how to make you feel better, they’ll know everything about you; how to take care of you and they’ll make you the happiest! You deserve so much, bub, and I’ll be damned if you don’t allow yourself this. If he’s meant to be, then it will be, I promise,” she says comfortingly, and follows it by a kiss on the head. He can hear a muffled Brenda and Frypan agreeing with his sister behind them, screaming things along the lines of “What she said!” and “Damn right, Newtie!”

Newt sighs and shows a small smile, coming back to earth and feeling so much love for his friends and younger sister. “I love you all so bloody much, and I know you’re right; it’s just so hard to believe! Deep down I know I deserve good things and to feel happy, but my brain is so set on the complete opposite.” And that earns him a group hug from his friends, full of love and adoration. “It’ll be alright, Newt, what’s meant to be will be. And you know we’ll always be right here beside you, we’ll always have your back and be there to protect you,” Frypan says comfortingly as his friends agree along, making Newt smile as he sniffles.

“Dinner’s done, what do y’all say we make our plates and eat on the balcony?” Fry muffles, not wanting to ruin the mood but knowing a nice home cooked meal would help. They all slowly break apart, delicious smells flowing through the room making their stomachs growl loudly, causing a burst of loud laughter from the four friends. 

Two hours later, the group is sitting on the balcony under the fairy lights Newt and Sonya both insisted were a necessity. They’re all pretty drunk, having finished three bottles of wine between the four of them over their lovely dinner; and Newt’s definitely feeling better. Sure, the sun kissed boy is still lingering in the back of his mind, but his friends and guitar are the perfect distractions. They sit on the balcony all night, enjoying the drunken company, and singing their favourite songs while Newt strums his guitar. 

He looks over at Brenda, who’s currently finishing up rolling a joint, and smirks. Just what he needed. When she gets it lit up, she passes it right to Newt, knowing how bad he needed a hit. The blonde set his guitar down, grabbed the cherry and took a big puff; and held it in as long as he could. Sonya looks at him and smiles, relief flashing in her eyes knowing Newt feels okay.

As Newt exhales, he lets all of the tension in his body go, and with the minimal sound outside after he put his guitar down, he could now hear music. He perks his head up, recognising the song immediately; Come A Little Closer by Cage the Elephant. Newt lets out a little giggle, and his friends look at him curiously. “You know, I would complain to our neighbours about the bloody loud music they’re playing, but it seems they have quite a good music taste,” the lanky boy humorely says as he passes the joint to Frypan. 

“Yeah, they’re always playing their music pretty loud, but I never complained because they play Cage the Elephant, Mac Miller, and The 1975; my favourites!” Sonya laughs, and Brenda’s eyes widen “Those are our favorite bands! Why aren’t we friends with them?!” Newt laughs and Sonya gasps, eyes wide; Newt knows exactly what his sister’s thinking. 

The blonde boy passes the joint to his sister across the small, pastel pink table the twins had picked out, and picked up his guitar, ready to sing the song that’s been playing through his head all day. Newt begins strumming, feeling the weed flowing through his system, and sighs happily. He tilts his head back and as he feels the tension from his day pass through his body, he begins to recite the lyrics that have been basically engraved in the back of his brain since he was a young teen. “I wish I could do better by you, ‘cause that’s what you deserve. You sacrifice so much of your life, in order for this to work. While I’m off chasing my own dreams, sailing around the world; please know that I’m yours to keep, my beautiful boy.”

The other three sit around the table, faces lit up by the bright moon hanging in the sky and golden fairy lights strung from the roof, admiring the blonde. They continue to pass around the joint, singing along every so often through wide smiles and giggles, but mostly enjoying the soothing light voice of their best friend.

❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁

When Thomas walks into his art class, he’s in a much better mood than he had previously been in, and the coffee had definitely helped with the headache. As he walks up the stairs of the classroom, he weaves his way through the full desks to sit down in the only available desk left. He drops his books a little too aggressively on to his desk, and the short, dark haired girl beside him whips her head, obviously a little spooked from Thomas’ heavy hand. He smiles sheepishly, face turning red as he says “Fuck, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to slam my stuff down so loudly, I’m just sort of excited, sorry!” and the girl beside him laughs, tucking her short hair behind her ear and giving the nervous boy a smile. “No worries, dude! I totally understand your excitement,” Brenda laughs, and Thomas giggles back, feeling less on edge around the shorter girl already. 

“My name’s Brenda, what’s yours?” reaching out a hand to shake, which Thomas returns eagerly, and replies “I’m Thomas! My best friend Minho is always teasing me for getting excited for class, so it’s nice to know there is someone who shares my excitement,” Thomas mumbles excitedly while sitting down in his chair. “Who wouldn’t be excited for art studies class?! Your friend doesn’t know what he’s missing!” Brenda says loudly, passion sparkling in her eyes, and Thomas smiles and thinks, maybe I will make some good friends here.

After his favourite class, Thomas walks back to the apartment, feeling giddy and excited after meeting a new friend. He grabs his keys from his jacket pocket, going to unlock the door, not without admiring their new door mat of course. It was a soft green colour, obviously Thomas’ favourite colour, with five darker coloured pot leaves surrounding the text; Welcome to our Joint. The minute the boys saw the carpet in the mall, they knew they had to have it; and now they both make sure to admire it every time they enter or exit the apartment. 

Thomas walks in and is immediately confused, hearing both Minho’s voice and another man’s. What the hell?, Thomas thinks, not all that worried over the situation knowing how social his best friend is, but still intrigued. When he walks into the living room, he sees Minho lounging in the living room at the coffee table with textbooks strewn across the surface, accompanied by a darker, kind looking man Thomas had never seen. 

“Hey, Greenie! How was your day?” Minho says looking up at his roommate, when he notices his eyes lingering on his new friend questionaly. “Oh, yeah! Whoops, Thomas this is Frypan! We met in my food and nutrition class, and our shuck head of a teacher ALREADY assigned a test at the end of the week, so we’re studying.” Thomas nods and smiles at Frypan as he reaches a hand out for a shake, “Hey, man, nice to meet you! Sorry for crashing in your place, I hope that’s alright!” and Thomas chuckles at the kind man’s apology. “No worries, man, whoever Minho likes I like too! I’m Thomas.” he says as he shakes the kind man’s hand reassuringly. 

“Studying hard, huh?” Thomas says, looking at Minho in surprise, causing Minho to huff. “Unfortunately, I don’t think failing the very first test of the year would be my smartest move,” making his roommate and newly found friend laugh, “We have been at it for a few hours now though, Fry. Do you smoke? Thomas here rolls an impressive doobie” Minho offers to their new friend, and he immediately nods “Shuck yes, I’d love a few hits right about now,” he sighs and Minho gives Thomas a look “You heard the man, Greenie! Get rolling!” Thomas laughs, already heading down the hall to grab his grinder and papers. 

15 minutes later, the boys are on the balcony passing around the joint and getting to know each other better. “Okay Fry, I’ve been meaning to ask, and I don’t mean it in an offensive way! But, is Frypan your real name? Or is it a nickname?” Minho asks, obviously he’d been thinking it for a while, curiosity oozing out in his tone. Fry laughs and throws his head back, “Nah, don’t worry about it, mate. My real name is Toby, but when I moved to England with my family when I was 10, I met some friends who are very adamant on nicknames and what not. They discovered I love to cook, and the nickname just sort of happened,” he explains, and the other boys laugh. 

“Those sound like my kind of people!” Minho cackles out, obviously a little too happy from the drug, and Frypan looks at them in realization. “I actually meant to tell you! My friends, who gave me the lovely nickname, actually live in this complex! It totally flew from my mind when we started studying though,” and Minho and Thomas look at each other, partially in awe. “That’s shucking amazing! We should all hang out sometime, I need to start spending time with someone other than the Greenie over here!” and Thomas glares funnily at his friend, knowing he’s joking. “Yeah, for sure! I think you guys would get along well!” And the boys all smile at each other, happy with how their new friendships are progressing.

Hours later, the two boys are back on the couch, watching an episode of Teen Wolf when Thomas says “I really like Fry, and I met a girl in my art class who is just as passionate about the class as I am; maybe we will meet a good group of friends!” Minho smiles at his friend, but rolls his eyes at the boy's insecurity. He wishes his friend knew his worth, how kind he is, how accepting he’s always been. He deserves much more than he’s been given, which explains Minho’s massive soft spot for the boy, always wanting to protect him and make sure he’s okay. He just hopes his best friend finds someone who understands, and stays, to love and support him.

“Me too, buddy, and a new girl huh? Interesting.. Was she hot?” Thomas rolls his eyes, not surprised at his friend's sudden interest, while Minho continues, “Nah, but seriously man, I think this is gonna be the best time of our lives. I can already tell how many good people we’re gonna meet, seeing as it’s only our first day and we both met people!” Minho says, smiling comfortingly to his friend and squeezing his shoulder. Thomas smiles, looking back at the TV. “Yeah, Min, I think you may be right. I have a good feeling.”

Moving on from their deep talk, Minho decides it’s time for a beer. “C’mon, shank, let’s turn some tunes on and celebrate our first day!” trying to help Thomas escape the confines of his mind. “I’ll grab some beer, and you set up the music! Put on the playlist I like!” Minho yells at his friend as he leaves for the kitchen, leaving a chuckling Thomas, knowing he has no choice. He decides to be nice and put on the playlist he made solely so Minho would stop complaining about his lowkey obsession with One Direction. Thomas couldn’t help it, they wrote catchy songs, okay?!

The sounds of drums and guitars flow through the speakers, Minho immediately cheering when he hears 505 by his favourite band, the Arctic Monkeys. He instantly turns it up and hands Thomas a beer, ignoring his arguments of “Minho! It’s 10:00, we’re gonna wake our neighbours!!” and instantly cutting off the overly-worried boy “Fuck off shank! The complex is basically full of university students, I’m sure nobodys asleep yet, and if they don’t like our tunes they’re lame!!” Thomas laughs, not totally agreeing but knowing he won’t get anywhere with the argument; also knowing that if they get noise complaints Minho will inevitably take all the blame.

“Min, I’m just gonna get some air, I’ll be right back alright?” Thomas calls over the music a few minutes later. Minho nods, attempting to hide his slight worry but never being able to hide his emotions from his best friend. Thomas laughs lightly, “I’m fine, Min, promise. Just need some fresh air!” he says as he slips out of the balcony door. He sifts through his pockets for a cigarette, thinking about how badly he needs to quit; he only really smokes when he’s stressed or drinking, but still.

As the brunette boy lights the dart and puffs, he overhears giggling and singing from the balcony beside him. There’s multiple voices, but one sticks out. Thomas admires the beautiful, captivating voice singing a song he hadn’t heard in years, The Girl by City and Colour. As they reach the chorus, Thomas becomes totally enthralled in the mystery performance, when suddenly his breath hitches.

‘And when you cry a piece of my heart dies, knowing that I may have been the cause. If you were to leave, fulfill someone else’s dreams; I think I might be totally lost. But you don’t ask for no diamond rings, No delicate string of pearls. That’s why I wrote this song to sing, My beautiful boy,’ Thomas finished his cigarette without realizing, in a trance-like state as he holds on to every word flowing out of the stranger’s mouth. The angelic voice reminds Thomas of everything good in the world; drizzled honey and the first rainfall of the season, slowly warming him from the inside out like a steaming tea on a cold winter day.

He’s hurdled back to reality as the butterflies in his stomach fill him up, sending giddy nerves through his system and a hot blush forms up from his chest and across his cheeks. Thomas quickly notices the ash scattered across his legs, no doubtedly from when he had let half the dart burn out half way through, too busy chasing every beautiful word that had fallen from the mysterious boy's mouth. 

The brunette boy is then plagued by plenty of thoughts at once; ‘Did he switch the lyric to boy? Am I imagining that?’ ‘How can a voice possibly make me feel this warm and fuzzy inside?’ ‘I don’t think I have ever heard a voice so beautiful and angelic, like the sounds of heaven on earth..’ ‘You’re being creepy, get it together Thomas! Stupid shank, it’s just a voice! Nothing to freak out over.’ and finally, ‘Don’t get your hopes up, Greene. You’re just a big, buzzing ball of nerves, and you know damn well you’re not gonna do shit about the situation. I mean, your neighbour? Seriously, what is wrong with you?!’

Thomas shakes his head in attempts to put an end to his rapid overthinking. The boy sighs as he stands up to head back inside, no longer in the mood to smoke another cigarette after he had let half of his last one burn out. As he slides the balcony door open, he sighs again, louder and longer, when he realizes he’s going to have to tell his best friend what had just happened. ‘Fuckin’ Minho, that shank knows me too damn well.’ Thomas thinks, not looking forward to feeling vulnerable and lonely - he knows the feelings all too well. He knows his best friend will want him to make a move, always wanting what’s best for him; but Thomas can’t. He’ll refuse, of course, claiming he’s too anxious and annoyingly curious to be loved. 

It’s not that he doesn’t want love, in fact, it’s the complete opposite. Thomas craves someone to hold at night, someone to experience life with, someone to give all his love to. Ever since he was a child he’d daydream about his future wedding, his family, lover. As he grew up, it became pretty much all he thought about; but it was different now. He still wanted all of it, more than anything in the world really, but Thomas couldn’t help but pull away from the reality of it. He knew what people often thought of him; annoying, too curious, asks too many questions, overly affectionate, too nervous, the list goes on. 

When the boy was diagnosed with anxiety at 17, he almost immediately blocked off the possibility of someone ever returning the love he had for them. He could hardly even make friends, basically spending his whole childhood and teens years following Minho and Teresa around like a scared little puppy, and he hated himself for it. He hated that he couldn’t open up to people, he hated that it took years for him to trust a soul, hated how he hated himself. 

Of course he knew this wasn’t actually him, aware that 90% of the time he’s controlled by his severe anxiety, along with the intrusive thoughts, insecurity, and overthinking that accompanied it. But, damn, was it ever a piss off; not being able to have any control of what goes on in your brain, knowing there’s an outer source creating non-existent problems and being left with the anxiety it causes and the messes it creates.

Thomas is startled out of his thoughts when Minho begins to shake his arm, and Thomas zones back into reality seeing the look of pure worry spread across his best friend’s face. “Hey, Thomas! Buddy, come back to me! What’s wrong?!” Minho says loudly, obviously in distress after his friend came stumbling back into their apartment in a completely other world. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Min. I didn’t even realize I came back in, I must have zoned out for a minute. I’m fine, don’t worry.” Thomas attempts to lie, fully aware it probably wouldn’t work but still trying his best to avoid talking about it.

“Don’t lie to me, Shank, I can read you like the back of my hand. You wear your heart on your sleeve, buddy, and trust me when I say your emotions are always written clearly in your face. Not to mention, you rub the back of your neck and avoid eye contact at all costs when you’re upset. So, please, sit down and take some deep breaths. I’ll grab some water, and then you’re telling me what’s bothering you so bad, alright?” Thomas drops his hand immediately, blushing a little and cracking a sheepish smile when his best friend exposes his tell, he nods and accepts, knowing he’s gonna have to talk no matter what. He grumbles an appreciative “Thanks, Min” as his friend heads to the kitchen.

After a few deep breaths, some water and a comforting pat on the back from his best friend, Thomas feels a little better, less lost in his thoughts. “Are you ready to talk about it?” Minho asks softly and patiently, wanting to make sure his friend has truly calmed down before hurtling right back into the issue. Thomas pouts and sighs, looking at his friend with a face that says ‘I know I should, but do I haaave to??’ and Minho just sends a little glare his way, reading his mind. Thomas sighs, deciding to just put everything out there rather than letting his emotions bubble in him until he pops. 

“I was just sitting on the balcony smoking when I overheard our neighbours singing on their balcony. All of a sudden there’s this absolutely angelic male voice carrying the song, and Min, I’m not exaggerating when I say this stranger man had the most beautiful voice I’ve ever fucking heard. It was like an instant comfort, all of my tension left my body, my brain cleared for a minute, like, just genuinely perfect in every sense. I literally lost my breath, that’s how good he was.” the boy rushes out, looking up his friend between sentences, seeing a wide smile break on Minho’s face. 

“I was completely awestruck by him, totally drawn in, unable to focus on anything other than catching every single word that flowed out of his perfect mouth. And then, unsurprisingly, my stupid brain ruined the moment, and everything came crumbling down.” Both boys frown, but Minho doesn’t push, waiting for his friend to get everything off his chest. 

“I just couldn’t stop thinking ‘I’m never gonna feel totally loved. No one will ever feel as passionate about you as you do them. Not worthy of love, too nosey and annoying and affectionate. Never gonna trust anyone that way, no one will even give you the time of day.’ And it was horrible. I know it’s not true, at least not totally, but fuck, does it ever feel true. I just can’t give myself hope for that stuff, after my dad and everything else back at home, I can’t do that again Min. I can’t fall apart again from losing someone. I don’t know if I’d be able to pick myself back up.” Thomas chokes out, not knowing when he started crying.

Minho feels his heart break seeing his friend so broken, hearing him talk so badly about himself. Why are the people most worthy of love and appreciation always shown the complete opposite? Why are some people so cruel? Ever since the day he had met Thomas, just a shy little boy swinging on the swings all by himself in the crowded school grounds, Minho made a promise to himself; he’d do anything and everything to protect the small boy in front of him. 

He had quickly become the shy boy’s best friend, and likewise; they considered each other brothers. Minho spent more time at Thomas’ house than his own, and both boys were basically second sons to each other’s families. Minho had been by Thomas’ side ever since that day, experiencing everything with him as they grew up; the good, the bad, and the horrible. 

There had been horrible. Thomas was always the subject of bullying in school, for no reason other than his extremely shy exterior and ‘scrawny’ form. Minho did everything in his power to protect him, but there were times he couldn’t be with his best friend. Like when his drunken dad ran away, right after the birth of Chuck, claiming everything to be too much. Months later, he shacked up with a new woman with two kids; and Thomas had never really been the same. 

Rejection is ugly; but being rejected and basically replaced by your own father? That’s fucking damaging. Thomas had also been subjected to the loss of many friends, people who just couldn’t deal with the boy's rapidly growing curiosity, or excitement and adoration, or his tendency to do things without thinking. They’d describe him as ‘nosey’ or ‘too much’ or ‘annoying’, and it made Minho’s blood boil, making him extremely protective over him. 

“Thomas Greene, you are not worthless. You deserve the world, and the stars, and everything else that exists. I know how hard it is for you to express yourself, to work up the courage to jump outside of your bubble, and I’m so fucking proud of you for how far you’ve come. You’ve dealt with so much shit, none of which you deserved in the slightest, and I’m so fucking sorry for that. If I could protect you from every stupid shank on this earth, and every shitty experience, I would, trust me. But things don’t always work out, people don’t turn out the way you thought they would, things go wrong - but that’s life. It fucking sucks, I know, but you can’t let that hold you back. You’re doing shucking amazing, but eventually you’re gonna have to open yourself up. To the world, to other people, to new experiences. Because if you don’t, you’ll get stuck in the same loop and you’ll drive yourself crazy. You deserve to love, and you deserve to be loved back, more than anyone else on this earth, and you’ll get it, I swear.”

“You need to allow yourself to be happy, to have fun, to experience life fully. You have to let go, Thomas. I know it’s easier said than done, it’s not your fault you feel this way, but you’re strong, buddy. The strongest person I’ve ever met, actually, and you deserve to feel the same love and appreciation you show everyone in your life. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you, as long as I’m alive, I’ll be next to you, brother. So let go. Let yourself feel, it’ll be alright, I promise. Open yourself up to the idea of being loved, being cared for. I know how much you want it, so lean into it. Let yourself get close to people and form relationships. If shit goes wrong, you have me, and you know damn well I’d beat the klunk out of anyone for you.” Minho says, gentle but firm, tears threatening to spill from his eyes after seeing his best friend so vulnerable and upset.

Thomas sniffles and wipes his tears away with his sweater sleeve, feeling a large weight he didn’t know he was carrying lift off his shoulders. He sits for a minute, taking in everything his best friend said, letting it all settle and feeling his way through it. Minho’s always been the best at bringing Thomas back to earth, always knowing what to say and do, and Thomas could never form the words to describe how grateful he is for the boy. 

He feels a strong surge through his body, from his heart all the way up to his brain, making him warm and slightly dizzy. The same few words repeat through his mind a few times, ‘Let yourself feel, it’ll be alright, I promise.’ His best friend had sounded so sincere, so serious, not a single lie or waiver of his voice. Thomas looks to his friend, scanning his face, reading his expression. He sees no other emotion other than honesty, love and slight sadness. ‘He’s not lying, he wouldn’t. You know that.’ Thomas thinks, and then he digs further down, something he’s always too scared to do. He never truly allows himself to feel, too worried things will go wrong and he’ll be hurt like so many times before. 

‘You deserve to feel the same love and appreciation you show everyone in your life.’ Thomas’ stomach lurches, having never thought about himself in that way. He’s a good person, he knows. A good friend, brother, son. He’s constantly checking up on his loved ones, talking to them, making sure they’re genuinely happy. He’s always preaching about how much they deserve, hoping for good things to come to them, encouraging them to do whatever it is that’ll make them happy. 

‘You’ve never thought like that for yourself.’ The thought startles Thomas, sending a jolt down his spine. He feels many emotions at once; anger, sadness, relief, nostalgia, worry. He realizes that for the past 19 years of his existence, he had never thought about his happiness. What he truly wanted, who he wanted to be, where he wanted to end up; always pushing those thoughts down and worrying about something else, someone else. He feels a sense of desperation and determination, and immediately promises himself to let go, and do what’s best for him for once.

“Fuck, Minho. Don’t go making me cry and shit!” Thomas huffs while wiping the few tears that came falling over the many realizations he had just made. When he looks over to his friend, he sees him quickly wipe some tears away too, and Thomas’ heart throbs a little, seeing the pain it causes his loved ones when he thinks this way about himself. 

He immediately pulls his best friend in for a long, bone crushing hug and whispers, “Thank you, Min, so much. You mean so much to me, and you practically keep me alive. You’re the only person I’ve ever been so myself around, you’re my best friend, my brother, and I don’t know where I’d be without you. You’re right, I know you’re right. I hadn’t even realized how little I think about myself, what I want, always just pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, but I know that can affect you guys. How it can affect me. I promise to you, and to myself, that I’ll try. I’ll stop holding myself back. It’s time for me to start creating the life I’ve always wanted, because no one else can do it for me. No one can fix the problems I put on myself. So, I’m gonna fix them and I’m gonna be better.”

Thomas takes a deep breath, and when he exhales, he feels like he’s been holding it in forever. He’s never felt so light, so relieved, so at peace with himself. Maybe this is what he needed. He needed to pop, so many emotions piling up from the past decade slowly breaking him down, he just needed to let go. To feel. Allow himself to breathe for once. He breaks apart from Minho after what feels like hours, and his friend gives him the widest smile, Thomas honestly worries for a second his cheeks will rip. “I’m so proud of you, Greenie, you’re doing shucking amazing. Things are only going to get better, I can feel it.” Thomas smiles and rolls his eyes, chuckling. 

“Now, whaddya say we go outside and have a nice talk about this mystery man who just sent you in a complete spiral and is basically the reason for your massive shucking smile right now, over a few tokes? I think we both deserve it.” Minho says, slowly getting up while he scans his friends face to make sure he’s really okay. “You always seem to know what I’m thinking.” Thomas says with a big smile, swatting Minho’s leg as he runs past to grab their things.

An hour later Thomas lays in his soft bed admiring the moon, hanging heavy in its illuminating light just outside his window, feeling elated and more at ease than he has in years. He finds his mind wandering once again to the enigma of a man right next door with the practically orgasmic voice, imagining what he looks like, how hot his regular voice probably is, even if maybe he happens to be staring at the same moon right now. 

Thomas turns over, reaching for his phone. He blushes a little at the thought of what he’s about to do, all alone in his room, moonlight pouring over the window sill and shimmering upon his burgundy bedspread. He wants to feel embarrassed, really, but with the smile he’s been wearing for over an hour, he can’t really feel all that ashamed. So he opens his music app, quickly searching and sheepishly turns his volume down. 

As the chords flow lightly through the speakers of his phone, Thomas sighs contently. The boy closes his eyes, once again feeling the butterflies pop up in his stomach but not allowing himself to be all that bothered.

That night, under the moonlight and in the light autumn breeze coursing through his curtains, Thomas falls asleep to the sweet, relaxing sound of City and Colour. He allows himself to relax, and lets the special song and calming thoughts about a certain faceless man lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there! the boys have officially seen each other, incredible. i really really love this chapter, and i hope you do too!! newt & thomas get vulnerable in order to grow and flourish, and their lovely friends are right there to support them :)


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